2007 Virginia Cavaliers Football Preview

2007 Virginia Cavaliers season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Virginia Cavaliers football preview as well as the 2007 Virginia Cavaliers Football Schedule. Dont miss Maddux's college football predictions against the college football point spread from the 2-time UHC contest winner.

Coach: Al Groh (7th year at Virginia)
Team Name: Cavaliers
2006 Overall Record: 5-7
Returning Starters: 19

The Virginia Cavaliers (5- 7 overall, 4- 4 ACC) finished third in the ACC Coastal and for the first time since 2001 missed a bowl bid. This season, with eight starters returning on offense and 10 on defense, the Cavaliers could be bowl bound again.

The problem for this team in 2006 was on offense. The Cavaliers scored an average of only 15.1 PPG (ranked 110th) and averaged only 257.2 YPG in offense (ranked 113th). QB Jameel Sewell (57.9% COMP, 1,342 YDs, 5 TDs, 6 INTs) came in as a redshirted freshman to start the last nine games of 2006. Sewell made some great plays but was also inconsistent. He's also nursing a wrist injury, which means freshman Peter Lalich may get the start. The offensive line returns and should be much better but the team lacks a real difference maker at receiver. The Cavs have talent and depth at RB, which includes junior Cedric Peerman and freshman Keith Payne.

The defense, which held opponents to 17.8 PPG, is loaded and capable of winning games. Upfront, Virginia starts DE Chris Long, one of the best in the nation. On the other end is Freshman All-American Jeffrey Fitzgerald (5.5 sacks, 2 INTs). Senior nose tackle Allen Billyk is ultra-dependable. The line-backing unit includes junior ILBs Jon Copper (81 tackles, 39 solo) and Antonio Appleby (68 tackles, 39 solo). The secondary returns three speedy and athletic starters.

The Cavaliers face five swing games, four on the road at Wyoming, North Carolina, Maryland and NC State. Pittsburgh visits the Cavs in the middle of the season in a contest that's tough to call. Virginia could go 3- 9 or end up 8- 4 or be somewhere in between. The defense can win some of these but the offense must start generating points to take some pressure off that unit. Stay tuned; this should be an interesting season.

Virginia Cavaliers Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Sep 1	Wyoming	Away
Sep 8	Duke	Home
Sep 15	North Carolina	Away
Sep 22	Georgia Tech	Home
Sep 29	Pittsburgh	Home
Oct 6	Middle Tenn St	Away
Oct 13	Connecticut	Home
Oct 20	Maryland	Away
Oct 27	NC State	Away
Nov 3	Wake Forest	Home
Nov 10	Miami	Away
Nov 24	Virginia Tech	Home

 

For more info on the 2007 Virginia Cavaliers football program, view the Cavaliers sports website or scroll down below to read up on the rest of the ACC foes.